If you were to open any social media platform and scroll through the most recent feed, within five minutes of casual browsing you would find at least one meme or online reference to the prevalence of depression, stress, and anxiety in the millennial generation. Why is it that teens and young adults feel such a heavy amount of negative emotions so frequently?
First, it is necessary to examine what makes millennials and Generation Z people different from those who came before them. Obviously, technology plays a significant role in the depiction of differences between young people and everyone else. Though providing benefits such as greatly improved communication abilities, effortless access to take photos and videos, and access to the world’s largest information source (the internet itself), technology negatively affects the mindset of everyone who uses it. Young people are exhausted by elders who claim that social media and technology has taken over our lives, or ideas such as how “everyone leaves a traceable digital footprint.” These facts are blatantly obvious to young people (given how much they are drilled into our minds), yet how important is it to take them into account? Social media allows everyone to constantly compare themselves to other people, whether that be through physical appearance, life experiences, and general personal information. With a few taps or clicks, anyone can publish anything. As a high school student, I can confidently say that the majority of drama that occurs at school is related to what someone posted, what was on who’s story, who was in a certain group chat, etc.
What does this have to do with stress? A sizeable amount of people claim that technology has caused the apparent stress of teenagers and young adults. 20-30 years ago, the simplicity of connection between people was nothing close to what it is today. My parents could not create an online conversation with 25 people or post whatever they wanted on an online account. Almost all communication was done face to face or over the phone. Back then, people had to make an actual effort to stay in touch with people after high school, whereas now I will be able to stay in touch with anyone who has an Instagram. Some people use this as evidence of the fact that relationships made by young people today are not as genuine as they used to be, however as a teen I would argue against this point. I disagree with the fact that the quality of relationships has “deteriorated,” because this argument cannot be built solely on the fact that I communicate with someone over a screen more than I do with them face to face. Some of the deepest conversations I have had with people have been over Snapchat, and I would not be as close with certain people who live far away if it were not for iMessage. As for social media, people have a choice to decide whether or not they will compare themselves to someone else online, or more specifically, whether or not they will let an aspect of someone else’s life affect how they perceive theirs. What’s the difference between seeing someone traveling on their Snapchat story versus them telling you about their trip in person? Granted, on Snapchat you can view pictures of their trip, but it is your choice to decide if you will be envious/judgmental of them or not.
What else makes us unique as a generation? If we rule out technology as a something that stresses us out, we can examine another aspect of life that has been modified since our parents were young: school. Upon first glance, schools may appear to be the same as they were 30-40 years ago. However, most high school students today expect to go to college, and a substantial amount of them plan on going to graduate school. Stress surrounding college admissions and schoolwork has never been more intense, and competitiveness between students, athletes, and everyone else at school rises every day; but why? Why do some people care so much about maintaining a “good” GPA? Why is it important some people to letter in a sport all four years of high school? Why do some students stay up past 1am unnecessarily studying for a test? Why is there a tiny portion of the young population that does not feel the stress that the majority seemingly experiences? The simple answer is that the reasons are different for everyone, but the undermining theme of our anxiety is deeper than individual rationales.
Our society is jam-packed with relentless talk about global warming, pollution, immigration, equality for all peoples, water and food scarcities, and a variety of issues that the elders look to the young people to fix. I frequently find myself considering what I actually want to do with myself, but even more frequently I contemplate what I should do with myself. There is no one I have spoken to over the age of 40 who says they put as much time into aspects of high school as the students of today do. I feel as if the most successful people of tomorrow will be those whose life dreams directly correlate with the solutions to world issues, but not everyone possesses those passions. Young people preach about the ability to “do what you put your mind to” or to “follow your passion,” but how are we supposed to follow a passion that seems irrelevant to what “needs to be done” with the world in the future? How are some people supposed to be happy if they do not receive the same liberties as everyone else; if they are discriminated in the workplace, the court of law, or simply by their neighbors? Why is it now okay for no one to act like anything is abnormal when someone says that they are stressed, anxious, or depressed?
The fact that I can open my phone every day and find that someone I know is miserable is atrocious. The fact that subjects such as depression, suicide, and the will to live have become prevalent memes (essentially jokes) is toxic to our society. It is an undeniable fact that the pressure is on for young people, but the stress of my generation is much more complicated than the idea of an “addiction to technology” or high school paraphernalia. The root of our stress may never be defined for certain, but I can confidently say that our generation is extremely different from all those who came before, and it is unacceptable for people to act indifferently and pretend as if nothing horrific is happening to our mentalities. The root of our stress is related to our self-esteems and the state of the world itself. There is no medicine to cure the plague that seems to infest the souls of almost every young person; our problem is mounted on the fact that no one truly knows what is ever going on or what they are going to do with themselves. I find that motivation is best found in those we hold close and that the stress that keeps us all up at night is nothing more than an emotion that will hold us back from what we strive to be. Ultimately, everyone has their own talents and any choice to turn away from what will make you genuinely happy is another step into the dark.
Kommentare